The Burning Rose Rebellion
A rebellion set between the Amarian Army and versus a large group of slaves that rebelled in the year 903, cropping up just west of Laleah, lead by a Dwarven slave Kazradar Oakthrasher. Waging on for a year until finally being declared over after a final battle in late 904 along the Wolf's Path. Tensions Rising Amarians expansion into the jungles was not done through kindness nor tenderness, many of the Kor'doril elves were routed and systematically butchered as the Amarians did not spare them. The lands they left were to be cleared and razed into farm lands and plantations for the Amarian's economy and to sustain their kingdom, this lead to an increase of raiding to local areas, taking captives of lizardmen, catfolk, humans convicted of crimes, of other tribes that did not align with Amaria, and dwarves from their mountain holds. Into collars of iron and given tools to work the land, they were forced to mine, farm and do the menial tasks dangerous for common folk to do, the whips cracking at their back should they show a single instance of fatigue or discontent. For a while, this worked, while minor slave rebellions happened, they were isolated incidents and were crushed under Amaria's steel boots. Slaves kept in the countryside, toiling in mines, farms and lumberyards were beaten, and forced to work grueling long hours with no break and the constant sounding of the whip to entice them to hurry. The Amarians enjoyed the fruits of their labor and their economy grew rapidly with the expanse of the new found slave trade. The Spark of the Rose In the late year of 903 a dwarf named Kazradar Oakthrasher, having been taken from his home and put in chains in an Amarian mine, had been given a vision of a burning rose in the middle of a city, with a dead wolf laying at it and blood pouring around the stem of the rose. The dwarven warrior rallied his fellow slaves and slew all the guards within the mine in a taste of sweet revenge for their abuse. Upon their victory and the guard's weapons and armor taken for themselves, they set about on the nearby farms and plantations, butchering the guards and rallying the slaves that would follow him under a banner of a burning rose, praising the name of Milani and Kazradar as her champion. Rallied to a single leader, though no real goal in mind. Kazradar spent the first month of his newly found campaign raiding the countryside, butchering the good masters of Amaria, their guards and stealing all their goods for their cause, equipping his men with crossbows, spears, shields, sharpened farming implements anything they could arm themselves with. However, the Amarians did not take this lying down and amassed a force to deal with them, one from Luperion proper underneath the banner of Commander Geris Wildsbane, while another force road from Daleah underneath the banner of Governor-Imperator Folcron Meriesburg. Nearing a staggering 2,000 slaves at this time, Kazradar knew they lacked the discipline and training to fight the elite Amarian troops in open battle, and had a feint of 180 men go and raze the lands to the south to distract the forces from Daleah, while Kazradar lead the forces from Luperion into an ambush in the jungle. Troops firing from the tree tops while they used smoke and constant hail of crossbow fire to force the army to splinter in a panic, while they regrouped their squads, the slaves would overrun the out stuck positions of the troops and tear them to pieces, slaying the 1,500 troops and the commander Wildsbane in the process. While the feint of 180 were subsequently destroyed, their forces routed, captured and executed by the forces of Daleah, Kazradar had the Amarian soldiers stripped of their gear and went northward through the jungle to avoid the retribution of the wolf's fury. The Wolf's Bite The Amarians were furious at this defeat by the hand of lowly slaves, the forces under Governor-Imperator Folcron swept northward to take revenge, but were leery as in the jungle the rebellious slaves had the advantage to the terrain. To counter this the Governor-Imperator had large swathes of the jungle set aflame and burned in an attempt to smoke them out, if they could separate the slaves or run them out into the field they would be powerless before the Amarian cavalry. While partially effective Kazradar moved his men north, liberating plantations and farms he came across as they made their way pass the Red Waterway, bringing their numbers to 3,500 under the banner of the burning rose, and westward while sending a small party of 230 northward towards the feral plains and into the Black Jungle. While the army of Daleah descended upon the 230, of which only 25 managed to escape northward, and were not heard from again, suspected to of died in the Black Jungle, Kazradar staged a daring raid towards Luperion. While not able to crack at its walls due to a lack of manpower and siege equipment, they razed the villages and hamlets surrounded the city, setting them a flame and recruiting more manpower for their cause as they marched northwards. Making their way across the northern side of the Wolf's Path they were met by the forces under Imperator Folcron, and mobilized the Amarians to cross the river to meet them. The battle began just past the morning dawn, as both sides traded fire through crossbows, bows and the Amarians using their wizards to turn the tide to their advantage. While dealing significant damage to the slave forces, the wizards were focused down by co-ordinate crossbow fire, and the Amarian infantry crossed the shallow parts of the river in a tetsudo formation, shields interlocked in the front while those in the ranks behind the front raised them above their head to protect them from incoming missiles. Kazradar responded with using stone launchers, small object able to hurl stones the size of a man's head to smash into the shield wall and break it up, and then release volley upon volley of crossbow fire into the cracked open defense of the Amarians. While used to moderate effect the Amarians stayed stalwart in advancing upon the enemy forces, and meeting the enemy in a lined battle at the other end of the river banks. The fighting was fierce as the Amarians held skill and disciplined fighting against the horde of furious slave rebels seeking blood. The bodies piled into the Wolf's Path, turning it red with blood and for a time made it rancid to drink from the bodies left in it, the Burning Rose movement fought hard, instilled with fervor from their movement however the Amarians had one ace in the hole still; a rising tide of cavalry came bursting forth from the northern plains, passing across the river and sweeping around to crushing into the back of their flanks. Kazradar could do nothing as the wolven dragoons tore through his forces flanks and cut them to ribbons, those that stayed died, and those that fled were rode down, the dwarf himself meeting his end as a blade separated his head from his shoulder. Aftermath The forces of Kazradar Oakthrasher, of the 3,500, well over 2,500 were slain in the battle. The rest were mostly captured, many being taken to Luperion, Laleah, Daleah, and its outlying villages and publicly executed via hanging, it was said their bodies dotted the road from Laleah to Luperion on the many branches afterwards as a warning to slaves to remember their place. The head of Kazradar was taken to Daleah and placed on a pike in front of the city gates. The worship of Milani had never been allowed in Amaria, however after the burning rose rebellion, a witch hunt was about to break out to find any and all slaves that harbored sympathy or loyalty to the traitorous worms. Dozens of slaves were questioned, tortured, and executed by being burnt alive. Category:Event